An impedance QCM study on the partitioning of bioactive compounds in supported phospholipid bilayers

The interaction of two drugs of small molecular size, propranolol and tetracaine, and the membrane-perturbing peptide melittin with a phospholipid bilayer supported on a SiO2 surface was studied with the quartz crystal microbalance. All three bioactive compounds interacted with the lipid bilayer and changed its viscoelastic properties. Adsorbed mass of the compounds was analyzed with a viscoelastic model as a function of the concentration of the compounds in the aqueous phase, as well as the effect of the compounds on the bilayer viscoelasticity. The analysis was based on the interpretation of the impedance of the crystal, utilizing the 5th, 7th and 9th overtone of the fundamental 5 MHz resonance frequency.

Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights
► Quartz crystal microbalance is used to study drug–lipid bilayer interactions.
► Propranolol and tetracaine change the viscoelasticity of the bilayer.
► Melittin perturbs the bilayer structure significantly.
► QCM impedance is a powerful method to study the properties of a lipid bilayer under external stimulus.